失敗 Going Under
by GoddessOfCsilla
Summary: He collapsed to the floor and the liquid steel bristled beneath his exposed skin. She was dead ahead, milky eyes fixed on the floor before her, where the prey lay for the taking. AU, same world, different interpratation...Maiko


**失敗 Going Under**

By-_GoddessOfCsilla(KiwiMarine)_

Disclaimer-I do not own Avatar.

_**Daybreak**_

**_Warship, The Unagi_**

_**Arctic Circle, Southern Water Tribe**_

The ripple of shifting deck plates caused Zuko's bruised knees to buckle.

He collapsed to the floor and the liquid steel bristled beneath his exposed skin. She was dead ahead, milky eyes fixed on the floor before her, where the prey lay for the taking.

Zuko pressed his forehead to the metal in defeat. Her hands twitched and with invisible strings the metal around her began to pucker like daggers. Needles soon covered the deck like a metallic carpet and scattered bodies lay tacked to the floor, blood pouring along the slippery deck.

Toph slid across the ship and over the needles on a raft of steel. She bended the _raft _around her as gravity pulled her to the aft of the ship.

As The Unagi sank it's components clanged along the length of the ship and finally dove into the ocean.

But, it was too silent for a sinking ship-no shrieks, no bodies crashing into the sea.

As the bow tipped toward the sky the earthbender climbed to the top rail and _watched _the conquered vessel spill into the depths of the blood-stained sea.

Only when the ship was near belly-up did the bodies begin to fall. Striped of all dignity they became severed from the tacks that made up the deck of their _beloved _ship. Pocketed with holes from brow to toe oozing bodies plunged into the icy sea of the Arctic Circle.

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_**Dawn**_

**_Warship, Sozen's Comet_**

**_On route to What Tail Island_**

_Unagi?_

The communications officer pulled herself closer to the ships's wall. Beneath the water, the steel conducted the icy temperature. It almost burned at the touch, but it was soothing to the waterbender. Among the firebenders she was alone, but her element and new position gave her warmth.

_**Thump, thud, swish, thump**_

_Unag...help?_

She closed her eyes and pressed herself into the steel wall, reading the rhythms of the water.

Not many ships in the Fire Nation had sonar or communication abilities—not many waterbenders dedicated themselves to the Fire Nation.

_That was defiantly the code…_

…_S.O.S…it is the Unagi!_

"Officer!"

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The rising sun filtered through the wide window along the bow.

Azula soaked it in and inhaled the air of the new day. The raven haired girl exhaled slowly from her position of meditation. The candles around her burned brightly, just stubs since they had been alight through the night. There was something wrong. Something she wasn't told. Something she couldn't do anything about…

_There's something in the water._

She had no bending abilities or knowledge in the tides but observed the ocean with slited eyes. She never trusted the water.

The fresh golden sun brought fire to Azula's eyes and they gleamed with intensity over the water. Mai watched this silently at Azula's door, not eager to interrupt the

meditation of her friend but fearful enough to step into the room.

"_Azula_?"

The heiress exhaled slowly and brought her widened to her friend's.

"There's been trouble."

"What kind of _trouble_?"

"At the South Pole." Said Mai, and her stoic expression broke into an undistinguishable release of pain. "The _Unagi_."

"_No_." Azula said, gritting her teeth and sending jets of flame from the candles around her.

Mai collapsed to the floor in tears and Azula held her shakily.

"_I knew something was wrong_…" Mai said, "I should have spoke—_it's happened before! Zuko_ was down there—_"_

Azula nearly slapped her as Mai continued to choke down tears.

"There need our help—the Unagi is down."

"Mai…" She gave her a gentle hug once more. "Let's go."

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_**Three hours past nightfall**_

**_Warship, Sozen's Comet_**

**_On route to Southern Water Tribe_**

The wind caused Mai robe to flap against the railing on the top deck of the Fire Navy ship. She stared out into the sea, to the South where her betrothed's body floated beneath the depths of the icy water.

Her heart pounded with hatred and hope but was deadened with grief. The assassin gripped the cold railing and screamed into the night.

From the shadows beneath, a blind earthbender listened and felt a soft tear hit the metal deck beside her.

vovovovovovovovov

_A/N-__Sorry if this is too emo/violent for my fans—must be the outcome of watching six Invader Zim episodes and listening to Evanescence when I was writing this. O.o_

_If you need anything cleared up-don't hesitate to ask, I can always edit it to make it clearer._

_Please review!!! -_


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